Sign: ‘I have even more respect for Hamilton after the podium in Abu Dhabi’

The Emirates race had just ended and Max Ferstappen’s victory on the final lap of Abu Dhabi’s Yia Marina circuit marked one of the most episodic and contentious battles in Formula 1 history.

Behind this is the furious jubilation of the Dutchman for the first championship title of his career Formula 1, Hamilton tried to realize everything that had happened: his exit Vehicle safety for Nicolas Lafiti’s accident, his irregular decisions Race director Michael Massey on the safety car while overtaking von Ferstappen -who had fresh tires- on the last lap and while the Englishman was absolute ruler until then.

Carlos Sainth, who finished third, saw a Hamilton trying on the podium organizes after this shocking – and by many unfair – development and was impressed that the British were successful.

Speaking to Corriere Della Sera, the Spanish Ferrari driver said: “It’s extraordinary hard for a driver to accept that he lost the championship on the last lap way.” He added, “I respect [τον Χάμιλτον] more than before, just for how he did it. We changed some conversations on the podium and he really suffered.”

In fact, Saint stressed that he was surprised Lewis didn’t incite tension at that moment of high adrenaline and a strong sense of injustice.

He went on to say that what followed the podium in Abu Dhabi, particularly the shocking comments online by Hamilton supporters and the backlash against Michael Massey, should not make Formula 1 a football fanatic: “Every football game creates controversy. We have to stop F1 from doing that such tensions. We must not make the same mistake again.”.